More cricket on the cards for city’s Fitzherbert Park

Fitzherbert Park could be in for more first-class cricket games this summer thanks to the council’s revised budget.

Manawatu Cricket Association will receive $155,000 from the Palmerston North City Council for the association’s project of returning Fitzherbert Park to premier status.

Among the upgrades will be onsite practice wickets, which means the park will be able to hold fourday Plunket Shield games.

Napier’s Mclean Park could be out of action for parts of next season while the drainage is fixed, so we’d gladly take more Central Districts games in Palmerston North, rather than just the sole one-day game Manawatu usually gets.

Marathon effort

Manawatu Striders’ Margaret Stuart completed her 50th half marathon on Sunday. Stuart was the 35th finisher in the half marathon walk at the Manawatu Striders event.

She was first in the 70-75 women category in two hours, 57 minutes and 20 seconds.

Top karter

Manawatu karter Kaleb Ngatoa has been included in New Zealand’s world-class elite motorsport academy programme.

A former junior Rotax national kart champion, Ngatoa is contesting the NZ Formula First Championship. He wants to race in Formula Ford next season.

International footballers

Manawatu’s two footballers in the New Zealand under-20 team, defenders Jack-henry Sinclair and Sean Liddicoat, have been in action at the World Cup in South Korea. Liddicoat played in the pool games against Vietnam, Honduras and France, while Sinclair played his first game against France.